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The Daily Tar Heel

UNC softball falls apart in final inning of 10-2 loss to Ohio State

After starting the weekend on a hot offensive streak, the North Carolina softball team (5-4) self-destructed in the final inning against Ohio State (4-3) to lose 10-2 for its first loss of the weekend.

What happened?

The opening inning of North Carolina’s second matchup against the Buckeyes revealed the wear and tear that a weekend-long tournament can have on a team. For the first time all weekend, the Tar Heels failed to score in the first inning, with only one hit in their opening at-bats.

Berlynne Delamora got things started in the second by drawing a walk and was replaced on the base path by Hailey Cole. When Katelyn Shifflett hammered one off the right-field fence two batters later, the Tar Heels took the early 1-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Buckeyes pushed back and loaded the bases with one out, but Sydney Matzko and the defense found a way to escape the jam unscathed.

Ohio State rebounded from its failed opportunity with a relentless offensive pursuit the rest of the way. The Buckeyes scored three runs in the third and added another homer in the fourth, while the UNC offense went cold.

In the fifth inning, the Tar Heels showed some life and scratched another run to bring the score to 4-2 after a double by Destiny DeBerry that scored pinch runner Micaela Abbatine.

After scratching their way back into it, the Tar Heels self-destructed in the field, committing an early error and leaving the ball up high at the plate. Ohio State capitalized on the mistakes and blew the game wide open, eventually mercy-ruling North Carolina in a 10-2 win.

Who stood out?

Katelyn Shifflett, who had struggled at the plate so far this season, doubled twice for her second and third hits of the year. In addition to gifting the crowd with bubble gum for the doubles, she also improved her batting average from .056 to .227 in one game.

Third baseman Berlynne Delamora had an odd but positive day at the plate. The third baseman drew three walks against Ohio State for a total of seven walks in a row, entering the top 10 in NCAA history for consecutive walks.

When was it decided?

Until the bottom of the sixth inning, the contest was anyone’s ballgame. When the defense allowed Ohio State to score six runs in the sixth inning, the game fell out of UNC's hands and translated to its first loss of the weekend.

Why does it matter?

After such a great start to the weekend, the North Carolina softball team looked different in its later match against Ohio State. The team fell apart in the final innings and lost a game that was well within its reach heading down the stretch.

After a disappointing finish, the Tar Heels will have the opportunity to rebound tomorrow against Purdue or continue on the same note they left it today and split the weekend games.

Where do they play next?

UNC will play next at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday against Purdue in its final game of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The Tar Heels beat the Boilermakers, 5-0, in the first game on Saturday.

@_JACKF54_

sports@dailytarheel.com

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